The Irish standard., 1887-07-30
THE HOLY FATHERS JUBILE

Letter From the Most Rev. DR.
Walsh, Archbishop Of
Dublin,
TO THE CLERGY AND LAITY,
The Main Effort Should be to Make the
Diocesan Offering Of Peters Pence
Worthy Of the Great Occasion.
The Most Rev. DR.. Walsh All.
dressed the following in reference to
the sacerdotal Jubilee of the Holy
Father to the clergy and laity of his
diocese:
DEARLY BELOVED BRETHREN-In
accordance with our established usage,
the annual diocesan collection Of Pe.
ter's Pence. the contribution Of the
Catholics of Dublin to wards the main
tenance Of our Sovereign Pontitt, his
Holiness the Pope, will be made i'll all
the churches and chapels of this dio-
cese On Sunday, the 3rd Of July, the
Sunday within the Octave OF tho Feast
OF the Apostles SIS. Peter and Paul.
In ordinary circumstances, dearly be
loved, should rest satisfied with mere
ly notifying to you the Gay appointed
for this collection, knowing, as [ We'll
know, that no words Of mine are need
ed to stimulate the earnestness with
which the clergy and the laity OF the
diocese have always contributed toward
the support of our Chief Pastor.
1t is now not far short Of twenty
years since, by an invasion in fragrant
viol,; tion Of international law, the first
great inroad was made upon the do
minions of the Sovereign Pontiff.
Spoliatlon followed spoliation, until at
length the Holy See was wholly de-
prived Of those possessions with which
the piety Of the faithful is past ages had
endowed it, and by means of which for
so many centuries it's Pastor had main
tanned his sovereign dignity, and had
betrayed the heavy charges inseparable
from the hsadrninistration Of the Universal
Church. The new responsibility thus
thrown upon the Sovereign Pontiff was,
indeed, heavy one. Those charges
have now to be betrayed out of the
offerings-sometimes abundant, some
times but utscanty--which are contrib uted
to the Pol,ti fical Treasurer, from year to
year, by the generosity Of Catholics
throughout the world, dutiful in sue
coring the needs of the common
Father of the Faithful. The burden,
indeed, which has now for many years
pressed so heavily upon the Sovereign
Pontiff has not been removed, but it
has been made possible of endurance
by the offerings which have never ceased
to flow from the love and devotion Of
his faithful children.
In this glorious work a work at once
of loyalty to the Church of GOD and of
flia} devotion to him who is its Chief
Pastor on earth the Catholics Of the
diocese of Dublin, and not only the
wealthy and the well-tc-do, but those
even who are amongst the poorest Of
our brethren, have borne a generous
part. Never. dearly beloved, during
those years Of trial have you failed in
Your duty. Never have you even been
content to limit yourselves to what
strict duty would require Of you in this
work of loyalty and love.
It is not, then, with the view of
exhorting you to generosity in the full
flment of this duty that this letter is
written. But the occasion is special
one A diocesan offering, such as OF
other years might we'll be deemed even
more than worthy Of your zeal and of
your Catholic devotedness TO the See OF
Peter, would fall far short of that which
in the special circumstances of the pre-
sent year may confidently be looked for
from the clergy and people of Dublin
My purpose, then, in thus addressing
you on the approach Of our annual collec-
tions is but to remind you that this year
is one of special interest in the life, and
in the Pontihcate, of his present
Holiness. Before it will have come to
an end our Holy Father will celebrate
festival that to him and to his children
the world will ba feast of
great joy-the Jubilee, or the iftieth
of his ordination to the
priesthood and Of his first Mass.
No sooner had this become known
than the Catholics of many nations
first in Europe and then in the more
distant portion of Christendom-de-
to seize upon the occasion as
one most especially suited for world
wide manifestation of their attachment
% that See which is the centre of Catho-
ic unity, and Of their atfectionate flial
7eneratjon for the Pontiff who is its
present illustrious occupant.
Everywhere the project has been
aiken up with enthusiasm. Pilgrimages